MP3, standing for MPEG-1, Layer 3, is a codec for compressing the size of audio files for digital distribution. Much more than a definition, MP3 is nothing less than a cultural and economic revolution on the Internet. Every day, hundreds of thousands of MP3 music files are searched for, shared, recorded and listened to by computer and Internet users of all kinds. Either alone or collected into massive download sites, the MP3 revolution is seriously threatening the traditional ways people find, listen to and create music. MP3 players and encoders are available for all major computer platforms, including Windows, Macintosh, Linux and BeOS. MP3 hardware players include portable players you can take with you jogging or exercising from manufactures like Sony, Diamond and Philips to home stereo and car stereo players.MP3: The Definitive Guide introduces the power-user to just about all aspects of MP3 technology. It delves into detail on obtaining, recording, and optimizing MP3 files using both commercial, and Open Source methods. Coverage is complete for four platforms: Windows, Macintosh, Linux and BeOS. In depth chapters describe all aspects of the MP3 experience from distributing, streaming, broadcasting, converting and playing to archiving your collection. Readers will learn how to test their equipment, optimize their encoding times, evaluate their playback options, control and organize a collection, even burn their own CD's or distribute their own music to a massive worldwide audience over the Internet. In addition, the author fills readers in on the complex legal issues surrounding MP3 files. Everything you need to know to enjoy MP3 today and tomorrow is contained in this single volume.MP3 is here to stay, and the applications for this versatile compression format are expanding exponentially along with its user base. MP3: The Definitive Guide should appeal to a broad audience of users, from the those just getting into this exciting new technology, to those who want to fully immerse themselves in the complexities and possibilities that MP3 presents.

Chapter 1 The Nuts and Bolts of MP3

MP3 Basics

Rights, Piracy, and Politics

Chapter 2 How MP3 Works: Inside the Codec

A “Perceptual” Codec

The Anatomy of an MP3 File

Chapter 3 Getting and Playing MP3 Files

Choosing and Using an MP3 Player

Players by Platform

Obtaining MP3 Files

Organizing Your Collection

Equipment Considerations

Chapter 4 Playlists, Tags, and Skins: MP3 Options

MP3 Options and Considerations

Equalization and Sound Quality

ID3 Tags and Playlists: The Virtual Database

Skins: Dressing Up MP3 Players

Plug-ins: Extending Your Reach

Listening to MP3 Streams

Performance Considerations

Chapter 5 Ripping and Encoding: Creating MP3 Files

General Encoding Principles

General Ripping Principles

Ripping and Encoding Tools

Ripping from Other Sources

Roll Your Own Compact Discs

Chapter 6 Hardware, Portables, Home Stereos, and Kits

Playing MP3 Through Your Home Stereo

Portable Players

Hand-Held Computers and Other Devices

Home Stereo MP3 Players

Car Players

Kit Players

Chapter 7 The Not-So-Fine-Print: Legal Bits and Pieces

The Rules of Engagement

The Players

Chapter 8 Webcasting and Servers: Internet Distribution

The Fundamentals of Internet Distribution

Offering Files for Download

Webcasting: Real-Time MP3 Broadcasting

An Interview with MP3.com’s “High Geek”

Chapter 9 Competing Codecs and Other File Formats

The Architectures

The Codecs

Appendix ID3v1 Genres

Glossary

Colophon

Scot Hacker

After earning a B.A. in Philosophy at UC Santa Cruz, Scot Hacker began writing reviews of jazz and improvised music for The Utne Reader and The Cadence Journal of Jazz and Blues before becoming a content manager and production editor at ZDNet. Hacker's interest in digital audio and fine computer systems evolved into a series of regular articles for PC Magazine, Byte.com, Windows Sources, ZDNet, Japan's ASCII magazine, and the CompuServe network, as well as television appearances and trade show gigs. Hacker is the author of O'Reilly's MP3: The Definitive Guide, Peachpit's "The BeOS Bible," and countless articles for print- and web-based technology publications. He is currently employed as Webmaster of the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism. Contact Scot Hacker

Our look is the result of reader comments, our own experimentation, and feedback from distribution channels. Distinctive covers complement our distinctive approach to technical topics, breathing personality and life into potentially dry subjects. The animal on the cover of MP3: The Definitive Guide is a hermit crab (Coenobita perlatus). The hermit crab is commonly found in the Indian and Pacific Oceans, and inhabits the areas surrounding the islands of Aldabra, Mauritius, and Samoa. Despite the name of the hermit crab, which alludes to a solitary lifestyle, Coenobita perlatus are very social creatures. They characteristically travel in groups of 25 or more, and have been found living in colonies of over 100 in the wild.Hermit crabs make their homes by occupying the discarded shells of gastropods in order to protect their soft, coiled abdomens and inner organs. They prefer shells that fit snuggly in order to prevent evaporation of moisture. Most hermit crabs carry water in their shells, which they use for breathing and a water source when they are far away from the sea. Maureen Dempsey was the production editor and copyeditor for MP3: The Definitve Guide. Colleen Gorman and Clairemarie Fisher O'Leary were the proofreaders. Melanie Wang, Nicole Arigo, and Madeleine Newell provided quality control. Brenda Miller wrote the index.Hanna Dyer designed the cover of this book, based on a series design by Edie Freedman. The cover image is a 19th-century engraving from the Dover Pictorial Archive. Kathleen Wilson produced the cover layout with QuarkXPress 3.32 using Adobe's ITC Garamond font.Alicia Cech designed the interior layout based on a series design by Nancy Priest. Mike Sierra implemented the design in FrameMaker 5.5.6. The text and heading fonts are ITC Garamond Light and Garamond Book. The illustrations that appear in the book were produced by Robert Romano and Rhon Porter using Macromedia FreeHand 8 and Adobe Photoshop 5. This colophon was written by Maureen Dempsey.

Scot Hacker's MP3: The Definitive Guide is SWEET! I was very pleasently surprised to see extensive Linux coverage, as well as BeOS, MacIntosh and Windows. Although I would have liked to have seen more coverage in the tag section, particularly with respect to Linux, MP3: The Definitive Guide is *THE* most comprehensive book of its kind. Hacker makes difficult concepts easy, and covers important concepts. (I was particularly pleased with the sections on ripping and encoding, plus the homebrew section). Great job Scot, thank you!